1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to printers, and more particularly, to a slip processing mechanism system for cutting, ejecting and stacking slips.
2. Description of Prior Art
In a transaction printer, such as a conventional point-of-sale printer, a paper web is typically unwound from a continuous supply roll and receipt information is printed thereon by any number of printing processes, such as dot impact or thermal printing. After printing, the printer mechanism advances the receipt portion of the web out of the printer housing and a knife severs the receipt. Printed receipts may then by removed from the printer and given to a consumer with photocopies or electronic copies or saved for record-keeping purposes. As the manual removal of a receipt after each printing operation is time consuming, users desiring to save copies of receipts often allow multiple slips to accumulate on the printer. Previously printed receipts often interfere with or hamper the ejection of subsequently printed receipts. Additionally, printed receipts often become intermingled, thus destroying the chronological continuity of the stacked receipts.
Complex stacking mechanisms, such as multiple stacking trays, have been used to maintain stored receipts are in chronological order. These devices are bulky and complex, however, and unnecessarily increase the cost of the printers. Some printers use what are referred to in the art as “slip kickers” for ejecting a cut slip from the printer. Conventional slip kickers require numerous moving parts, require independent drive mechanisms, and do not necessarily insure the chronology of receipts after ejection.
3. Objects and Advantages
It is a principal object and advantage of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive way to process slips ejected from a printer.
It is an additional object and advantage of the present invention to maintain accumulated slips in chronological order.
It is a further object and advantage of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive means to stack and store ejected slips.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will in part be obvious, and in part appear hereinafter.